


linger

by babyblue44



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Aaron Hotchner/OC - Freeform, Angst ish, F/M, FBI, Friends to Lovers, I cannot commit to a story do not ask for that, Implied Violence, One Shot, Protective Aaron Hotchner, Romance, Slow Burn, Tension, These will just be one shots, Whole damn crew, Yearning, criminal minds - Freeform, except no one except Hotch and thea really speak, possibly who knows, profilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24102928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyblue44/pseuds/babyblue44
Summary: Thea makes a reckless decision. Hotch finds himself inexplicably angry.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38





	linger

“Where’s Hayes?” Hotch asked abruptly, his sharp gaze searching the area with discernible agitation.

“I’ve got her!” Morgan yelled out, several feet away with her arm thrown over his shoulder, the two of them stumbling away from the worn down entryway of the building.

“I’m alright,” she was quick to say, sensing the collective concern that rose up when several pairs of eyes drifted towards her hand clutching tightly onto her side. “He got me in the side, it’s just a bruise.”

“Or a couple of broken ribs,” Morgan scoffed, nodding towards a nearby ambulance. “You’re getting that checked out, short stuff.” 

“I’m-” 

“Hayes,” Hotch rebuked, eyes cutting towards her swiftly. “Go with Morgan, get it looked over.” 

It didn’t take a profiler to see the aggravation wearing down Hotch’s towering form. Despite the team’s success in capturing the unsub and saving the victim, his shoulders were tense, fingers wrapped tightly around his cellphone as he stared at the scene before them with a deep frown. 

Following Morgan towards the waiting ambulance, Thea felt a sharp pang in her chest, a mixture of guilt and disappointment. 

“Boss man’s not happy,” Morgan remarked lightly, trying to ease the tension in her shoulders as he helped her settle down at the rear of the ambulance, the doors already open as a man nodded at them, jumping down to assess her injuries. 

“I’m well aware,” Thea sighed, wincing abruptly when the EMT’s fingers prodded against her side, a sharp wave of pain paralyzing her in place. 

“It was risky as hell, going in there without backup,” Morgan murmured, watching carefully as Thea clenched her fingers into a fist, closing her eyes tightly. 

“ _Morgan,_ ” She bit out, conveying a flood of vexation in a single word, her unimpressed tone making a loud chuckle rumble out of the close-by agent.

“I’m being a hypocrite, I know,” Derek said to her, eyes twinkling. “Just be careful next time, alright. We need you around here.” 

As her examination wrapped up, Thea let out a heavy breath, waving Morgan away with a minuscule smile. “Go catch up with everyone else, I’m sure they want to be filled in.” 

Parting ways with a pat on the shoulder, the EMT was pulling out a stethoscope just as Hotch briskly approached, hands tucked into his pockets, though Thea could have bet they were clenched into fists, at least by his dark expression. 

“Deep breaths, please,” a voice was telling her pointedly, the woman startling back into focus and leaning forward gradually, grimacing in pain just as the cool round surface was pressed against the bare skin of her back.

“Good, you can’t talk, so you’ll have no choice but to listen,” Hotch murmured deeply, coming to a stop before them, arms now crossed over his chest. 

“Again,” the EMT murmured, Thea biting back an eye roll, politely waiting for him to finish up as Hotch down at her with an expression she could no longer read; a mix of something angry and disappointed, yet apprehension lingered around him as he watched her struggle to breathe without wincing. 

“What you did tonight was injudicious, incredibly ill advised and showed little care for the orders you were given by your superiors.” 

_Inhale._

“You are trained to stand by for back-up but instead you kicked down that door and risked not only your life, but the victim’s as well.” 

_Exhale._

“The team was hardly four minutes out.” 

_Inhale._

“I can’t even begin to understand what you were thinking.”

_Exhale._

The man examining Thea broke in uncomfortably, clearing his throat and looking at her apologetically. “You’re going to need to head to the hospital for some scans, could be looking at a possible fracture.” 

Between that and Hotch publicly expressing his deep displeasure with her, Thea couldn’t help letting out a heavy sigh that only added to the pain in her chest, leaning her head back and clenching her eyes shut, dark hair falling messily around her shoulders. 

“Alright,” Thea murmured, bracing her hands against the cold metal beneath her. “I’ll ride there with one of my team,” she informed the man promptly before carefully jumping down. 

She was saved from the pain of a sudden impact, a pair of hands lightly settling over the sides of her arms, carefully making sure she was alright before they instantly pulled back, the sudden warmth leaving her side immediately. 

“I’ll drive you,” Hotch informed her, eyeing her carefully for any signs of argument before offering his arm. 

“‘I’m fine,” she murmured, waving him away and carefully heading towards the SUV, trying as hard as she could to avoid jostling her side, the words still echoing in her mind. 

_“I can’t even begin to understand what you were thinking.”_

Despite Thea’s protests, Hotch helped her into the passenger seat with a surprising amount of caution, watching vigilantly as she settled in before leaning down. Thea tensed against the seat as he took hold of the seat belt, pulling it across her body in a swift motion before it clicked into place. His arm brushed against her front for less than a second, and she could feel the back of her neck growing warm.

When Hotch let the door slam shut, she exhaled shakily, chalking the sensation up to symptoms of her injured ribs. 

She watched carefully as Hotch strode around to the other side of the car, his eyebrows furrowed over his eyes the way they always were- though this time his frown somehow looked carved deeper into his face, and she couldn’t fight the urge to try to restore some harmony, to try to ease that expression away from him, even if only for a split second. 

When he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, Thea willed herself to speak, fingers drifting over the cool leather surface beneath her thighs as she searched for the right words.

“Hotch…” Was all she got out, her voice and exhausted as she let her body sink into the seat. “I will not apologize for saving that girl's life.” 

He was quiet for a moment, fingers wrapped tightly against the steering wheel before he turned around, throwing an arm over the passenger seat and backing away from the curb without making a single sound. Hotch had always been the master of silent anger, all furrowed brows and barely concealed glowers- but Thea had never been so bothered by it until now. 

It wasn’t until they had pulled out of the site entirely that he spoke. “I understand why you did what you did,” Hotch admitted, his voice low and void of the anger that had been present, the sound letting Thea relax enough to lean her head back, all at once remembering the events that had occurred. The metal pole slamming into her side. Hitting the floor so hard the air had whooshed out of her. The shriek that had left her when the unsub hit her again. 

“I knew from the moment you reached the location first, that you would storm in with no hesitation. I was hoping that you would have listened when I told you not to, when I practically begged you to wait.” 

His words were brittle with a bitterness that made Thea’s stomach sink, and she hurried to explain. 

“It’s not that I didn’t want to listen to you, or that I don’t respect you, Hotch. I couldn’t just stand outside that door and let it happen. I heard her scream and I had to go in.”

“I know,” he murmured with a heavy sigh, slowing down at a red light and turning his head so slowly that Thea’s fingers twitched, the desperation in her voice was resounding in the small space of the car. She took in the guarded expression on his face, the downturn of his lips, the way his fingers were turning white from holding onto the wheel so tightly.

“But you could have been killed,” he continued, his voice strained as he spoke. “I- We could have lost you tonight.” 

Thea couldn’t find the right words to say, a lump suddenly trapped in her throat as she watched him with wide eyes, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. At once, she was unaffected by the pain of her injury. The only thing she could focus on was the man sitting beside her, the tremble of his fingers as he tightened them against the wheel, hitting the gas as the light changed to a bright green that reflected in his eyes. 

“I should suspend you...” he divulged, bringing his fingers to his right temple and pushing against it wearily. 

“Tell me you’ll wait for backup next time.” 

“Hotch,” she murmured, her stomach twisting as the car came to a stop, giving her the chance to meet his gaze head on, and she felt entirely unable to look away from him. 

From Hotch, with his commanding presence and that resonant voice of his. The deep melodious sound that could catch her attention in any room. And here he was, staring at her like he wasn’t sure if what he was feeling stemmed from anger or passion.

She looked at him earnestly, her expression almost pained as she let her eyes shut before opening them again a moment later, a promise locked in that tired gaze. “I’ll wait.” 

Those two words lingered between them, unable to go anywhere else.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading if ya did! thea hayes is my baby. i picture her as rachel weisz if anyone was wondering. there may be more one-shots. but no big stories. hope everyone's safe/healthy/some sort of happy. review please!


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